The Yankees utility players, Ronald
Torreyes (0.3 WAR), Tyler Wade (-0.1 WAR) and Neil Walker (-0.1 WAR) had a
combined WAR of .1 in 2018, and while they are all serviceable as utility
players or as players off the bench, this is an area where the Yankees could use
an upgrade in 2019.

Cashman’s Criteria

We’re now heading into year 18 of the Brian Cashman regime
and it’s definitely been a rocky relationship between he and the fans
throughout his tenure. The Yanks have won fourchampionships since he’s been in office but people are starting to
grow weary of him and some of the decisions he’s made. But, a few seasons ago,
Cashman started acquiring players that fit a certain criteria. Hear me out and
let me tell you why even through all of the poor contract’s he’s shipped out,
Cashman has figured something out.

Even if Brian Cashman isn’t around for much longer, what he
has started around the year 2012 is a nice blueprint for years to come. When
the Yanks acquired Michael Pineda, he was a guy with a ton of talent but couldn’t
put it all together. Last offseason, Cashman made similar moves once again
acquiring the likes of Nathan Eovaldi and Didi Gregorius. Then at the trade
deadline, former first-round pick Dustin Ackley. All three players have
incredible talent but were taking a long time to blossom, so their respective
teams chose to move on. The Yankees took a chance and all three paid dividends
and helped the Yankees reach the 2015 postseason.

Yes, I know what you’re all going to say. “The one game
playoff isn’t really the playoffs” or “we’re the Yankees, we shouldn't be happy
with just getting into the playoffs.” I’m not disagreeing with you, but this
formula has seemingly worked for the Yanks in recent years and I’d like to see
them stick with it. Now, obviously I’m not saying this is how we should acquire
all of our players. That being said, when the opportunities present themselves,
the Yanks should capitalize.

They did just that this offseason already, acquiring
outfielder Aaron Hicks. Hicks is a young, talented outfielder that hasn’t
reached his full potential. Hicks was drafted in the first-round of the 2008
draft (14th overall) but has only seen big league success in a few
facets of his game. He’s hit lefties well, has played stellar defense, and been
able to steal bags. The Yankees are hoping they can maximize Hicks abilities
and turn him into an everyday player.

The Yanks more recently were in talks with the Mariners
about starting-pitcher James Paxton, another player fitting the mold of recent
Yankees acquisitions. Paxton was drafted in the fourth round by the Mariners in
2010 and was their number three rated prospect headed into the 2014 season.

Just so you have an idea with the mold I’m referring too,
below is some of each aforementioned players prospect rating and where they
were drafted (if they were drafted of course):

Michael
Pineda – Mariners number two prospect after the 2010 season. Baseball
America’s 16th rated prospect after 2010. Rated with the best
fastball and slider in the Mariners system in 2010.

Brian Cashman has found success in once highly sought after
prospects not panning out when teams hoped they would. The Yankees have taken
chances on these guys and they have paid dividends for the organization. I hope
they continue this trend all-the-while making other free-agent signings that
help the New York Yankees win championships.

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The scene was set for the
young budding Bomber squad last fall after finishing their season a game away
from a World Series berth. They were the team that arrived a year too early,
and another deep playoff run would be the goal, but then an old friend threw a
wrench in those plans. Derek Jeter put gargantuan slugger Giancarlo Stanton on
the market, and Stanton dictated his transfer with a full no-trade clause. The
Giants and Cardinals among others threw their name into the ring, but who did
he choose? The Yankees and Dodgers, it seemed to be a battle of baseballs
powerhouses, but the Yankees had an advantage over their former neighbors,
payroll flexibility. They were able to use this into an absolute steal of the
reigning NL MVP, and the Yankees were thrust into a world series or bust year.
The season was historic, they set the season home run record without Gary
Sanchez, Didi Gregorius, Greg Bird, and Aaron Judge for most if not all of the
year, but it ended in a bust at the hands of…

The
speculation started during the regular season, even prior to his trade from the
Baltimore Orioles to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Where would Manny Machado go upon
his free agency at the end of the 2018 regular season? And, with that, which
teams would be knocking on his door? No
sooner did the Yankees’ regular season come to a close after their fated ending
in the American League Division Series, the talks of Machado coming to the
Bronx took off as though pushed by a speeding 4 Train behind Yankee Stadium. The
truth of the matter is that the rumors started even prior to Machado’s free
agency being on the horizon -- they started
at the trade deadline.

Yankee fans are left with more questions than answers following Clint Frazier’s injury riddled 2018. Frazier suffered through concussion symptoms throughout his 2018 campaign, which saw him appear in 69 games between the minors and the big leagues. Now, Yankees fans wonder what 2019 will hold for the 24 year-old.

Miguel Andujar’s 2018
arrival in the big leagues on April 1st had been much anticipated by Yankee
fans and we were rewarded with a Rookie of the Year performance by one of the
most exciting players in all of Major League Baseball.

Corey Kluber is the difference
maker and impact arm the Yankees need atop their rotation. In 2017 and
2018, Yankee fans wished ace-like status on Luis Severino, but his
inconsistencies have left him just short of owning the name. Kluber, 32,
has been the definition of consistent for the Cleveland Indians, winning 18+
games four out of the last five years and winning 20 games in 2018 for the
first time in his career. Kluber has posted an ERA below 3.50 every season
since 2014, and has struck out at least 220 hitters in the same span. Kluber
keeps getting better, and is not showing any signs of regression. Kluber is an
ace, the ace the Yankees need.

There’s
no easy way to answer this question. Or, rather, there’s no one answer. The
surrounding factors change, creating different situations and, as such,
different fits -- both from a financial and from a team standpoint. A case can
be made to bring back either of these free agents, or both of them, or…
neither. But it’s almost impossible to make a blanket answer that fits in every
possible scenario.

It
felt like a shoe-in. So much so, in fact, that I advocated
for what I thought was the inevitable all the way back in September, before the
BBWAA even announced the nominees for American League Rookie of the Year.

First acquired in a relatively
small-time, 40-man sell-off move around this time last year that sent 1B
Garrett Cooper and LHP Caleb Smith to Miami, Michael King was seen as a young
right hander with promise, but one still years away from making any significant
Major League impact.At the time, the
important part of that trade was the $250,000 international bonus pool money
Miami included, which we all thought was to be used on Shohei Ohtani.Ohtani, obviously, never ended up in the Bronx
and will not pitch at all in 2019 after undergoing offseason Tommy John
Surgery.

Flashback to July 3rd -
the Mariners had just won their eighth consecutive game, putting them 20 games
above .500 and in possession of the third-best record in baseball. Everything
was going right in Seattle, and it surely seemed as if the M’s infamous 17-year
playoff drought would finally come to an end. Just two and a half months later
on September 22nd, the Mariners were eliminated from playoff contention,
following a dreadful summer slump and the concurrent surge of the
division-rival Athletics.

I
cannot count the number of times I tweeted about the Yankees and their problem
with RISP and situational offense over the course of the 2018 season. Of
course, the Yankees won 100 games on the regular season, and that statistic is
nothing to sniff at. They also claimed the single-season home run record. And
that’s great.